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21. Shaun Ellis, New York Jets
(Bye Week: 9)
41 solo tackles, 19 assisted; 8
sacks, 1 FR, 2 FF, 1 TD
Ellis is a nice solid option to
have if you are trying to fill out
your defensive line. More than 40
tackles is pretty good for a DE,
but his sacks have been very up
and down over his career. He has
had as many as 12.5 in a season,
but also as few as 2.5. If you
get a repeat from his 2008 numbers
this year, I would be more than
happy.
22. Adewale Ogunleye, Chicago
Bears (Bye Week: 5)
48 solo tackles, 14 assisted; 5
sacks, 1 INT
He
will turn 32 before the season
starts, so he is no spring chicken
but he will still give you some
stats. He is on a defense that
has many playmakers, so it is
almost impossible for offenses to
give Ogunleye the attention he
deserves. His five sacks last
season were his fewest since 2004,
so you can expect that number to
increase.
23. Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins
(Bye Week: 6)
21 solo tackles, 8 assisted;
3.5 sacks, 1 FF
After being run out of town,
Taylor inexplicably took less
money to go back to Miami. He is
just a shell of his former self,
but Taylor still should crush his
numbers from last season. Look
for him to make 40+ tackles, and
sack the quarterback at least
eight times.
24. Tommie Harris, Chicago Bears
(Bye Week: 5)
33 solo tackles, 4 assisted; 5
sacks, 1 FR
He
missed two games last year due to
a knee injury, so you could get
better numbers than this from
Harris. When healthy in 2007, he
had 31 solo tackles and eight
sacks. He is a rare defensive
tackle that is under 300 pounds,
but is still able to be
effective. Harris isn't a guy you
want leading your defense, but he
is still valuable as your fourth
DL player.
25. Will Smith, New Orleans
Saints (Bye Week: 5)
43 solo tackles, 19 assisted; 3
sacks, 1 FF
Smith had a very disappointing
season as far as the sack numbers
are concerned, but he is better
than that. Although he has only
done it once in his career, I
still expect Smith to get to
double digits in sacks. He
fighting his suspension for
violating the league's substance
abuse policy, and if he loses that
appeal, he will miss four games
and his value obviously goes down.
26. Derrick Burgess, Oakland
Raiders (Bye Week: 9)
16 solo tackles, 8 assisted;
3.5 sacks, 1 FF (10 games)
In
2005 Burgess had 51 solo tackles
and collected 16 sacks. He did
reach double digits in sacks the
following season, but has
struggled since mainly due to
injuries. If Burgess can stay on
the field for an entire 16 game
schedule and not get dinged up, he
could easily surpass ten sacks
again. Many players might have
forgotten his previous solid
seasons, so you can likely wait
until late in your draft to grab
him.
27. Chris Long, St. Louis Rams
(Bye Week: 9)
32 solo tackles, 8 assisted; 4
sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF
The
second overall pick in the 2008
draft sure had his share of
struggles last season. He started
out strong with four sacks in
September and October, and then
didn't record another one for the
rest of the year. Most rookie
pash rushers have an adjustment
period before the really break
out. 2009 could be that year for
Long, or he might still be a year
away. You can not argue that
someday he will be living in
opposing team's backfields.
28. Aaron Smith, Pittsburgh
Steelers (Bye Week: 8)
44 solo tackles, 16 assisted;
5.5 sacks
This pick is proof that almost
anyone on the Steelers defense is
at least worth considering. Smith
has been around the NFL for quite
a while, but has never gotten
widespread attention. He doesn't
have the big name or the gaudy
stats, but he should be good for
five or six sacks and a decent
number of tackles for a defensive
lineman.
29. Leonard Little, St. Louis
Rams (Bye Week: 9)
15 solo tackles, 3 assisted; 6
sacks, 2 FF
Once one of the more feared speed
rushers in all of football, Little
still can inspire some nervousness
for the QB. He also hasn't been
fully healthy for a full season in
the past two years, but when he is
right, he is nearly a lock for ten
or more sacks. He might be one of
your last defensive picks, but he
has the ability to play like one
of your first.
30. Darryl Tapp, Seattle Seahawks
(Bye Week: 7)
45 solo tackles, 9 assisted;
5.5 sacks, 1 FR, 4 FF
Had
those numbers above because he got
playing time due to the injury to
Patrick Kerney. This year he will
start along side Kerney and that
should alleviate some of the
pressure on Tapp. He has
increased his tackle numbers in
each of his three seasons in the
NFL, and this year he looks to
take the next step with sack
numbers. The Seahawks should be
improved this season, and
hopefully their pass rush will be
able to get to the quarterback
some more.
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